Madera: a Model for Green Development

PRESENTATION
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PRESENTATION SUMMARY
Madera is a 44-acre, 88-unit single family residential subdivision in Gainesville, which utilized Low Impact Development (LID) strategies to create a model green community. Examples of the Madera approach include maintaining the tree canopy and native vegetation, limiting use of heavy equipment to limit soil compaction, zero discharge of stormwater, pervious pavers, limited soil moisture sensing controllers for irrigation, and much more. Acomb shares the Madera model for green development and the significant cost savings realized as a result of their approach.

SPEAKER BACKGROUND
Glenn Acomb, ASLA, is on the Faculty of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Florida, and is a registered landscape architect with over 25 years of experience.  For the past 7 years, he has taught the site construction methods and the site construction materials courses, both with an emphasis in sustainable site design and low-impact development techniques of bioremediation in storm water design. 

In 2002, he co-founded of UF’s Program for Resource Efficient Communities (PREC), a multidisciplinary research group that provides applied research in site and building resource efficiency to municipalities, developers, design professionals and property owners throughout Florida.  For the past 10 years, he has assisted the St. Johns River Water Management District providing guidelines for low impact and water conservation landscape designs for use in single family sites and subdivisions throughout Florida. 

He has assisted in the preparation of several national green design standards:  the National Association of Home Builder’s Green Home Design Guidelines, and the Florida Green Building Coalition’s Green Development Standards, and is a current member of the U. S. EPA national stakeholder group for new home design standards for the WaterSense program. 

In 2007, he co-designed the University of Florida’s first green roof on the Charles R. Perry Construction Yard building, a 2,600 square foot 5” extensive roof.  For the past year it has served as a model design and educational tool to demonstrate water conservation, plant material selection and maintenance standards.